Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 1).djvu/662

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CLARK
CLARK

CLARK, George Whitfield, clergyman, b. in South Orange, N, J., 15 Feb., 1831. His ancestor, Richard Clark, was one of the first settlers of Elizabeth, N. J. He was graduated at Amherst in 1853, studied theology at the Rochester semi- nary, and, after ordination on 31 Oct., 1855, be- came pastor of the Baptist church at New Market, N. J. He took charge of the 1st Baptist church at Elizabeth, N. J., in 1859, has been a pastor at various places, and since 1880 agent and mission- ary of the American Baptist publication society. He has spent several years in special esegetical study, and Rochester university gave him the de- gree of D. D. in 1873. He has published " History of the First Baptist Church, Elizabeth " (1863) ; " New Harmony of the Pour Gospels in English " (New York, 1870) ; " Notes on Matthew " (1870) ; " Notes on Mark " (1872) ; " Notes on Luke " (1876) ; " Notes on John " (1879) : " Harmonic Arrangement of the Acts of the Apostles " (1884) ; " Brief Notes on the New Testament — the Gospels " (1884), and numerous articles in periodicals. He has ready for publication (1886) brief treatises on Luke and John, and in preparation " Notes on the Acts of the Apostles."


CLARK, Henry James, naturalist, b.in Easton, Mass., 22 June, 1826 ; d. in Amherst, Mass., 1 July, 1873. He was graduated at the University of New York in 1848, after which he taught for some time in White Plains, N. Y. Here he developed a taste for botany, and entered into a correspondence with Prof. Asa Gray, which presently led to his becoming a student at the Botanic garden, Cambridge, in 1850, while at the same time he supported himself by teaching in the academy in Westfield, Mass. Soon afterward he became a student under Louis Agas- siz, and was graduated at Lawrence scientific school of Harvard in 1854. He then became pri- vate assistant to Agassiz, who pronounced him " the most skillful mieroscopist in tlie country," and was associated with him from 1856 till 1863 in the preparation of the anatomical and em- bryological portions of the " Contributions to the Natural History of the United States." In June, 1860, he was appointed adjunct professor of zool- ogy in Lawrence scientific school, and in 1861 gave a course of lectures on histology at the Mu- seum of comparative zoology. An unfortunate disagreement with Prof. Agassiz led to his sev- ering his relations with the museum in 1863, and during the following year he delivered twelve lec- tures at the Lowell institute with the title of " Mind in Nature." In 1866 he was appointed pro- fessor of botany, zoology, and geology in the Agri- cultural college of Pennsylvania, where he remained until 1869. He then became professor of natural history at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, and in 1872 was elected professor of veterinary science in Massachusetts agricultural college at Amherst. Prof. Clark was a member of most of the learned societies in this country, and had been elected to the National academy of sciences. Be- sides valuable contributions on scientific subjects to " Proceedings of the American Academy of Sci- ences and Arts," of the " Boston Society of Natu- ral History," " American Journal of Science," and " Smithsonian Contributions," he was the author of " A Claim for Scientific Property " (Cambridge, 1863), and " Mind in Nature, or the Origin of Life, and the Mode of Development of Animals " (New York, 1865). For a full list of his scientific papers and works, see Prof. Asa S. Packard, Jr.'s " Me- moir of Henry James Clark " in the " Biographi- cal Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences " (Washington, 1877).


CLARK, Isaac, soldier, b. in 1749 ; d. in Castle- ton, Vt., 31 Jan., 1822. He was a soldier of the revolution, a member of the constitutional conven- tion, and for many years chief judge of the Ver- mont county court. He becarue colonel of the 11th U. S. infantry on 12 March. 1812, and on 12 Oct., 1813, commanded a successful expedition against Massequoi, Canada. He was transferred and mustered out of service on 15 June.


CLARK, James, soldier, b. in July, 1730 ; d. in Lebanon, Conn., 29 Dec, 1826. His ancestor, Dan- iel, was an early settler of Windsor, Conn. James was a captain in Putnam's regiment, and was pres- ent at Bunker Hill. He was made lieutenant- colonel of Huntington's regiment, 4 Nov., 1775, and took part in the battles at Harlem Heights and White Plains, 16 Sept. and 18 Oct., 1776.


CLARK, James, governor of Kentucky, b. in Bedford county, Va., in 1779 ; d. in Frankfort, Ky., 27 Aug., 1839. He removed with his father to Clarke county, Ky., was educated by a private tutor, and, after studying law in Virginia, was admitted to the bar, and began practice in Winchester, Ky., in 1797. He was several times a member of the legislature, became judge of the court of appeals in 1810, and was elected to congress as a Clay democrat, serving from 24 May, 1813, till 1816, when he resigned. He was judge of the circuit court from 1817 till 1824, and was then elected again to congress as a whig, serving from 5 Dec, 1825, till 3 March, 1831. He was elected to the state senate in 1832, becoming its speaker, and in 1836 was chosen governor of the state, and served till his death.


CLARK, John, clergyman, b. in Petty, near Inverness, Scotland, 29 Nov., 1758 ; d. in St. Louis, Mo., 11 Oct.. 1833. He received a common-school education, worked for a few years as a copyist in public ofiices in Inverness, and in 1778 shipped as a sailor on board a transport. He then served one year on a privateer, sailed as second mate to the West Indies, and was impressed into the British navy at Barbadoes. He deserted and shipped on board a merchantman, which was captured by the Spanish, and Clark was for nineteen months a prisoner at Havana. Soon after he was released he was again impressed, but escaped by swimming two miles to shore, when the vessel was off Charleston. S. C. After various adventures, he taught a backwoods school in South Carolina, and then in Georgia, where he was also appointed a class-leader among the Methodists. After a Aisit to his home, which he reached by working his way before the mast, he returned to the United States in 1789 and became an itinerant Methodist preacher in Georgia. He had scruples on the subject of slavery, and once refused his yearly salary of $60 because it was the proceeds of slave labor. He withdrew from the Methodist church in 1796 on account of doctrinal differences, and went to Illinois, where he taught, preached, and finally joined the anti-slavery Baptists calling themselves " The Baptized Church of Christ: Friends of Humanity." When not teaching, " Father Clark," as he was called, made long preaching tours. One of ttiese, in 1807, was to the " Florida Parishes " in Louisiana, a journey of 1,200 miles, which was performed alone, in a frail canoe. He returned to Illinois on foot, and revisited Louisiana in 1811. Father Clark preferred to travel on foot, and on one occasion, when he was seventy years old, walked all night to fulfil an appointment, going sixty-six miles over a muddy road. Unlike many western pioneer preachers, he was neat in his dress and quiet in his manner. A sketch of him has been published by an old pioneer (New York, 1855).